Nathan Pancel is used to seeing the puck either on his stick or in the net.

Lately, however, the Sudbury Wolves winger has been getting another, more intimate view of the frozen disc.

“One big thing I try to do to get my game going is blocking shots,” Pancel said following Thursday's practice. “I try my hardest to get into the lanes and I feel as though, if I block a couple and I play better defensively, that transitions to offence. Bottom line, better defence means better offence.”

Hard to fault that logic, considering Pancel's torrid scoring pace these days. The 19-year-old from Orleans, Ont., is among the OHL's goal leaders with 15 in 14 games, easily putting him on pace to top last year's career high of 26 tallies in 68 starts.

Pancel admits that while he has always been a scorer, he hasn't always applied himself so much to the defensive side of the game.

If he still lacked any motivation to play both ways, though, he got that in his team's season-opening loss to the Soo Greyhounds.

“I think the Soo game was a wakeup for us,” Pancel said. “I scored in that game, but we still lost 10-3, so really, the offence doesn't matter when it comes down to that. You have to play in a defensive way and the offence will come after that.”

That's exactly what Wolves head coach Paul Fixter wants to hear from his veteran forward.

Fixter has been very pleased with Pancel's play of late and will be looking for more of the same as Sudbury embarks on a three-game swing through southwestern Ontario, with stops in London tonight, Sarnia on Saturday and Guelph on Sunday.

“He's a kid that, offensively, is very gifted,” Fixter said of Pancel. “He's a shooter, he's a pure shooter and he does that very well, but we talk about a 200-foot-game and he's really bought into the other side of the game and he's blocking shots, playing hard and being responsible in the defensive zone.

“The word that coaches use is 'trust,' you know, can I trust you in the defensive zone, can I trust you in the last minute of the game? He's a guy who has earned that. He plays on the penalty kill and I think he's enjoying that part of it. He now takes pride in blocking a shot or making a strong defensive play, as much as he does scoring a goal.”

It's a good example for Pancel's younger teammates, Fixter said, as the Sudbury squad keeps working to shore up its defensive play.

“You need that,” Fixter said. He's an older player now, he has been in the league a couple of years and you need your older players to lead by example. His work ethic off the ice has been good. He's a fun guy to be around and he keeps the room light, but I said to him early in the year, 'Your job is not to be liked, it's to be respected, and you earn your respect not in the dressing room, but you earn it on the ice,' and to his credit, he has done that.”

Pancel says he's just doing his part. He's a player who enjoys the game, and likes the team aspect in particular.

“It's almost a second family and you can't beat that feeling, Pancel said. “It's great every day, working towards something with 20 guys you respect and want to play for and at the end of the day, when you get a win, it's the best feeling in the world, knowing that you contributed to helping your family out.”

Tonight's game at Budweiser Gardens in London starts at 7:30 p.m.

WOLVES NOTES

Forwards Jake Harris (upper-body, week to week) and Dominik Kahun (collarbone, week to week) are not expected to play this weekend. Callup winger Austin Veleke will remain with the Wolves.

ben.leeson@sunmedia.ca

Twitter: @ben_leeson

…...

WOLVES WEEKEND

Today: At London, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday: At Sarnia, 7 p.m.

Sunday: At Guelph, 2 p.m.

From the coach: “This isn't a vacation getaway. This is a three-game weekend series of games against tough teams. We're going to southern Ontario, not southern Florida. There's work to be done.

“London has had tremendous success over the last couple of years. They're well coached and well managed, with great players. Sarnia is a team that works hard, especially in their building. It's a team that doesn't make it easy for you. And Guelph is a top-end team that's pushing to win the west, so no easy games for us and it's our job to be equal to the task.”